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Jayson Williams's Lawyer Asks Judge to Toss DWI Charges
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 23, 2010
Modified Mar 23, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 23, 2010
Modified Mar 23, 2010
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Three witnesses have identified former Nets player Jayson Williams as the driver of a Mercedes SUV that crashed into a tree by the FDR in January. But Williams is sticking to his story that he wasn't the one driving. When first responders arrived at the scene, Williams was in the passenger seat, and he claims that the mystery man behind the wheel ran away to freedom, leaving a sodden Williams holding the bag. (When his blood was finally tested at Bellevue, the results came back with a blood alcohol level of 0.19, twice the legal limit.) But Williams's lawyer argues that these witnesses were not handled properly.
Attorney Oscar Holt has asked a judge to toss out the case because the witnesses were not shown anyone else when identifying his client. "Of course the people are going to say it was him," Holt tells the AP. Prosecutors insist the identification was legitimate, and say surveillance video puts Williams behind the wheel. Williams, who was seen drinking heavily at a bar with college students hours before the accident, is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in New Jersey after pleading guilty to aggravated assault for fatally shooting a limo driver in 2002. The DA wants him to serve a year in jail, the maximum DWI punishment, after he does time for that.
Tagged
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jayson williams
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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